Lima, OH (WLIO)- Kindergartners at the Liberty Arts Magnet School got a visit from some four-legged friends today.
As part of their "Me and My Community" unit in social studies, the students were joined by the Lima Police Department's K-9 unit.
Officers and dogs demonstrated takedowns and voice commands, showing the students what life is like for a police dog.
Officers and dogs demonstrated takedowns and voice commands.
The students also learned how the dogs respond to their handlers and witnessed the strength of their sense of smell with decoy packages simulating a drug bust.
The K-9 unit views these visits as an opportunity to connect with students, show them the good law enforcement does, and foster community relationships.
"It's important for the kids to see it, because a lot of times the canine units, they get marked as aggressive or scary, and we like to bring them in here and show them that, you know, they're just dogs that are trained to do something special. You know, we let the kids pet them at the end. We let them interact, but as you saw, they still perform the way we need them to," stated Sergeant Stephen Torres of the Lima Police Department's K-9 unit.
The students also observed the bond between the dogs and their officers.
"Our dogs only listen to us. They don't listen to anybody else. I mean, I bring him in the station around the other officers and around people in the public and they try to call him, throw his ball. He wants nothing to do with them. He's like my best friend. I sing to him in the car, you know I do. I sing him in the car, and I do all that kind of stuff. And it's just a bond that something really special, and you don't have that with anything else," commented Patrolman Logan Patton with the LPD K-9 unit. "We bring these dogs home with us at the end of the day. Yeah, they come home with us on the weekends. At home, they're pretty much with us more than our families," added Sergeant Torres.
The K-9 units will visit other Lima City and surrounding area schools throughout the year.
